London Day 2: Getting Settled

(I actually wrote this post the night it happened, but I didn't want to post it out of order, so pretend that it's actually my second day in London, and you're all set to go! :P)

I woke up this morning feeling even sicker than I was last night. I also woke up a few hours earlier than I had wanted to (I got up at 10 a.m.) due to the fact that my body was on an early sleep schedule from my Dublin/Belfast adventures. I started off by finding a Boot's (pharmacy in the UK) and buying some Sudafed, which made me feel much better. I also helped Katie pick out a phone at Carphone Warehouse (phone store) and we got a little lost in a part of downtown London that reminded me of a mini Times Square (very, very, mini). We found our way back to the flat, and I had some breakfast and took my medicine. I also managed to do some laundry, shower, and get the Internet hooked up on my netbook (hence the mass amount of blog-posting I did all at once). I also managed to completely fry my Mac's charger by accidentally putting my plug-converter together upside-down. Whoops. Luckily, all of my roommates use Macs as well, so they have let me borrow their chargers until I can get a new one.

At 2 we had a housing orientation with our landlords, and afterwards we went to the grocery store to get some household necessities (trash bags, dish soap, etc.) for our flat. We got back, had a quick bite to eat, and then headed back to Faraday house (SU Abroad's campus building) for a meet and greet. We didn't stay long, and headed back home after about half an hour. When we returned I video-chatted with my mom and sister (hi guys!) and then got ready to go out for the night with some friends.

Something I've noticed is that a.) everyone here wants to go out every night and b.) the people from our group travel in large packs. We did just that tonight, when about 30 of us invaded a neighborhood bar (Princess Louise's). It was a pretty cool place. It had two stories, three bars, and a bunch of little rooms with doors so you could have your own private hangout. That bar closed early (11 p.m.), so we headed down the street until we found another bar (White Hart) that was open later (12 a.m.). When they called last call, we came back to my flat to hang out and talk for awhile, and Sam, Aaron, Andrew, and I (all flatmates) went to a convenience store to get something to eat. After everyone left our flat, the girls and I stayed up for a little bit to talk and get to know each other better, before retiring to the comfort of our beds. (Which don't have top sheets, in case you were wondering)